Perkiomen man admits to possessing child porn on his computer

COURTHOUSE — A Perkiomen man has admitted to possessing child pornography on his personal computer in the township home where he was living.

Richard John Lovett, 22, of the 400 block of Rahns Road, pleaded guilty in Montgomery County Court to felony charges of sexual abuse of children possessing child pornography in connection with a July 2012 incident. Judge Carolyn T. Carluccio deferred sentencing so that court officials can complete a background investigative report about Lovett.

Lovett also must undergo an evaluation by the Pennsylvania Sexual Offender Assessment Board, which will determine if he meets criteria under the state’s Megan’s Law to be declared a sexually violent predator. Those deemed to be predators face more stringent restrictions under Megan’s Law, including a lifetime requirement to report their addresses to state police and community notification about their living arrangements.

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Lovett, who remains free on bail pending sentencing, faces a potential maximum sentence of 3 ½ to 7 years in prison on the charges.

Court documents indicate an investigation of Lovett began in July 2012 when undercover county detectives who were conducting Internet searches for suspected child pornography sharers identified Lovett’s computer address as a potential download source for such materials. Detectives alleged they were able to retrieve video files, depicting female or male toddlers being sexually assaulted by adults, from a computer address that was eventually linked to Lovett.

Using a subpoena, authorities obtained subscriber information from the Internet provider that served the home where Lovett resided and determined the address of the residence at which the suspect computer was located, court documents indicate.

On July 26, authorities, armed with a warrant, searched the Rahns Road residence and seized a laptop computer used by Lovett, who resided at the home that was owned by relatives, according to the criminal complaint.

During a subsequent forensic examination of the computer, detectives located 26 videos depicting children under the age of 18 engaged in sexual acts or posing naked in sexually explicit manners, according to the arrest affidavit.